About the Author

Melissa Purtee

Hi! I’m Melissa Purtee and I teach visual art at Apex High School outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m passionate about student choice, supporting diversity and creating pathways for authentic self-expression. I’m also the author of The Open Art Room, which is all about incorporating Choice in the secondary classroom. Read more of my writing on my blog, Thoughts on Arting.

 

Posts by Melissa

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student work
Article

Redefining Success in Visual Art

Aesthetics matter to art teachers. They always have and they always will. We are masters of appearance, able to facilitate...
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artist's work
Article

18 Incredible Contemporary Artists Your Students Will Love

There are more amazing artists to cover than art teachers have minutes in the day. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to include...
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unicorn barfing
Article

15 Memes Only Art Teachers Will Understand

All art teachers have their challenges. But some things are specific to art teachers: the messy paintbrush left in the...
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student work
Article

Engage Your Students From Day One With an Art History Remix

Creative thinking is an essential skill for artists. However, it can be a challenge for art students to learn and...
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student work
Article

A Simple Way to Minimize Grading and Increase Engagement

If I had to make a list of the top ten things I dislike about teaching, “grading” would be numbers...
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student with painty hand
Article

The Essential Framework for Teaching Creativity

As art teachers, we want our students to be capable and confident creative thinkers. We recognize, admire, and respect the...
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Article

The Surprising Reason Why Play Is the Ultimate Teaching Tool

Have you ever wondered why some of your students aren’t very creative? I noticed it first in my elementary classroom....
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Article

How to Deal With the Idea of Appropriation in the Art Room

Appropriation is a complex topic for art teachers to navigate. On one hand, the concept of borrowing ideas and images...
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journal
Article

What’s on Your Art Teacher Bucket List?

Being an art teacher is pretty awesome! Not only are we experts in the act of artmaking, we are walking...
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struggling student
Article

Why We Have to Let Our Students Struggle

Have you heard these statements in your art room? What should I pick? What color should I use?  And everyone’s...
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Susanna and the Elders
Article

3 Amazing Women From Art History You Need to Know

There is no getting around it–the cannon of Western Art History is overwhelmingly male and white. That’s not to say...
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Article

Is Technology in the Art Room Always a Good Thing?

These days, it’s totally normal for me to say things like, “Get out your phones and work on your blog posts,”...
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